Wall shower bar assemblies are used in shower stalls, shower enclosures, tub and shower surrounds, and the like, where it is desired to have the option of using either a fixed shower head or a hand-held sprayer shower coupled for washing and/or rinsing purposes. Typically, the hand-held sprayer shower is supplied water by a flexible water supply hose, which is coupled to a diverter valve. The diverter valve allows the user to select water flow between the fixed shower head and the hand-held sprayer shower. A tube assembly (sometimes referred to as a wall bar) is provided which mounts to a support surface such as a wall of the shower stall. The shower head is coupled to an upper end of the tube assembly, while the hand-held sprayer shower is supported on a seat slidably affixed to a vertically mounted tube of the tube assembly.
Typical prior wall shower bar assemblies are shown, for example, in U.S. Published Patent Application Pub. No. US 2009/0266913 (publication date Oct. 29, 2009) to Tsai and U.S. Published Patent Application Pub. No. US 2010/0024909 (publication date Feb. 4, 2010) to Lu et al. A connector at an upper portion of the tube of the tube assembly is typically coupled to a water supply pipe extending from a shower wall via a ball joint assembly. The shower head, in turn, is connected to the connector. The lower portion of the tube is coupled to the shower wall by a retainer assembly, which fixes the lower portion of the tube with respect to the shower wall.
Several shortcomings exist with respect to prior wall bar shower bar assemblies. When a ball joint assembly is used to affix the upper portion of the tube assembly to the water supply pipe, over-tightening is a problem. Typically, wrench flats would be provided on an outer surface of a coupling collar, which was threaded onto mating threads of the wall supply pipe. The desire to insure a water-tight connection often resulted in an installer (especially a do-it-yourself, novice installer) applying excessive torque to the coupling collar via a wrench positioned on the wrench flats. Excessive torque applied to the ball joint assembly could result in damage to the ball joint assembly and/or the water supply pipe.
Moreover, because in a typical prior wall bar shower assembly, the retainer assembly positions and secures the lower portion of the tubular bar at a fixed location with respect to the shower wall. This retainer assembly does not allow for relative movement between the tube and the shower wall. Stated another way, the retainer assembly of prior wall bar shower assemblies provide for a fixed position of the tube with respect to the shower wall. This configuration of prior wall bar shower assemblies makes repair, disconnection or adjustment of the wall bar shower assembly difficult. Generally, to repair any of the internals of the upper portion of the tube assembly, the entire prior wall bar shower assembly would have to be removed from the shower wall and the water supply pipe including disconnecting the ball joint assembly from the water supply pipe and disconnecting the retainer assembly from the shower wall or support structure.